Flash Point
by Sir Edward
Summary: Cloud and Aeris meet for the 'first' time, and this is the story that happens after this meeting. It follows the game's first meeting, and then will build from there. Slight AU. CloudxAeris. I do no own Final Fantasy 7 or anything to do with it.


Chapter 1: Ode to a Flower Girl part 1

(5 years in the future)

Cloud sat, his head sunk to his knees as he panted from his exertions. A large sword lay on the ground next to him, dropped there recklessly by arms too weak to move anymore. He gave a curse to the air around him, cursing his weakness, cursing his pain, cursing at himself for not trying harder. Finally he stood, and looked down at the sword with a frown.

"How the hell am I going to beat him if I can't even fight?" the blond asked himself as he continued to frown at the Buster sword.

As he contemplated just giving up, he heard a noise behind him that sounded like soft footsteps. He turned to find a woman with dark brown hair and deep green eyes staring at him.

"Who are you?" he grunted, his frown still in place as he looked over the new arrival.

"My name is Aeris Gainsborough. I sell flowers around here. And who might you be?" the woman replied, her face a mix of mild amusement and something else that Cloud couldn't discern. He stared at her for a while more before shaking his head.

"I'm nobody important. Why bother asking?" His voice was monotone and his eyes closed slightly from disappointment.

She shook her head, and pushed a basket towards him.

"Everyone is important! Don't be so hard on yourself. Here, buy one of these flowers; they'll make you feel better. They're only 1 gil." She gave him that smile that made him sick; how the hell could she be so happy with all the shit that was going on in this world?

"Thanks, but I don't do flowers…" he muttered, turning to pick up his sword and pushing it back into its sheath on his back. The woman continued to smile at him despite his flat refusal of her offer.

"Oh, but they're beautiful flowers. They're also the only ones that grow in Midgar. You needn't be shy," she teased him, still holding out the basket.

Cloud looked into her eyes, and saw the mischief playing in them. He shrugged.

"Fine, fine… I'll buy a damn flower. Here," he said as he took out 1 gil from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Why thank you good sir! I'm glad that I could interest you in buying one. Since I like you, take this one, it's my favorite." She smiled, pulling out a delicate looking pink flower, with large rounded petals. She placed it in his hand, and watched as he took it.

"Did you have to give me a pink one…? Don't you have something more… manly?" Cloud said, as he looked at the pale pink of the flower.

Too this, the woman giggled and shook her head.

"I'm afraid that flowers aren't really meant to be 'manly'. Besides, that flower smells really nice, why don't you give it a try?" She continued to smile, her mirth very evident as she watched him bring the flower up to his nose.

Cloud inhaled the flower's intricate scent, and nodded.

"This does smell wonderful. It's even… nostalgic…" He really didn't know what it was, but the flower's smell was vaguely reminiscent of something he couldn't quite place his finger on. He shook his head, clearing his mind of such thoughts.

"I've got to go. Thanks…" he said, turning from the strange woman, and walking away, flower in hand. As he was walking away, he heard soft steps behind him, and he turned to see the woman was following him.

"What? I bought a flower already…" Cloud said, feeling a little defensive as the woman followed him.

She simply smiled at him, and shook her head.

"I don't want to sell you another flower… I just thought that since it was late, you could walk me home. This isn't the best place for a woman to be at this time… you wouldn't leave a poor woman all by herself in the Sector 7 slums now would you?" She chuckled as she said this, and moved closer to him.

Cloud shrugged, and nodded. He wasn't sure why, but he felt at peace in this woman's presence. He wouldn't admit that to her though.

"Fine, I'll walk you home if that's what you're asking." He turned away, and continued to walk, listening as Aeris' nearly silent steps followed him.

They walked for a while in silence, just the two of them in the slowly fading light of the day. They reached a playground and this is where Aeris spoke again.

"Let's take a quick break. I've been walking around for the whole day, and my legs are starting to get cramped," she said, pausing in her stride to bend down and knead the offending limb.

Cloud stared at her for a minute, watching her graceful movements as she did this, and he couldn't help but feel a little captivated. She was a beautiful young woman and he certainly hadn't had an opportunity like this for quite a while. But as his mind drifted off on those thoughts, it felt wrong somehow, and he quickly extinguished them. She was too sweet and innocent for that anyways. While he was busy with his inner battle, he hadn't noticed that she had moved over to the swings.

"Hey Cloud was it? Would you give me a push?" she said, beckoning him over to her.

Cloud snapped out of his thoughts and moved over to Aeris.

"Sure, I guess. Why not?" he replied, stepping behind her and giving her back a gentle push, setting the swing off in its metronomic motion. After he did this, he sat in the swing next to her, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Just as he was starting to come to a conclusion, a few gunshots resounded off of the poles of the swing set, causing him to jump into action, a reflexive thing that was ingrained in his mind from many years at Shin-Ra. He quickly pushed Aeris out of the swing, and pulled his sword out in one fluid motion. He moved the sword in front of him using it almost as a shield.

"Aeris, stay down. I don't know who's firing, but I don't want you getting hurt," he said, as he motioned for her to lay low.

As he said this, several shots came from in front of him and bounced harmlessly off his large sword. He moved cat-like along the playground, his ears straining to pick up any sound. He heard a sudden movement and quickly found three Shin-Ra guards carrying a variety of automatic weapons heading toward him and Aeris. He listened and took cover behind a tree.

"Target acquired sir. And it seems that there may be another with her. There's a blond guy carrying a big sword. He looks like a SOLDIER. What should we do?"

"Kill the SOLDIER, it's probably just that rogue that got away a few months ago. He isn't that strong. Just use caution."

At those words, Cloud leapt from behind the tree and ran at the three startled guards. He hit one of them with the broad side of his sword, sending the guard crashing to the ground unconscious. The others fired, causing Cloud to lose his balance momentarily, and he got hit by one of the bullets.

The bullet cut through his leg like hot lead, causing him to wince. He quickly began to retreat, grabbing Aeris as he did so, tossing her over his shoulder with a quick motion.

"We have to get out of here. Do you know any places we can hide?"

Aeris didn't reply at first, because she was still recovering from being picked up and tossed over Cloud's shoulder. When she got over it, she quickly answered.

"Yes, there's a church not too far from here. Just keep going in the direction we're going in."

Cloud nodded, and made a quick move around a tree, avoiding a volley of bullets that were sent their way.

They kept this up moving in and around different barriers dodging round after round of bullets. They made it to the church, and Cloud shifted her to his back.

"Hold on tight, and don't look down," he warned her, as he leapt up onto a ladder leading up to the roof.

He climbed with more dexterity than anyone Aeris had ever seen. What was this man? Was he even human? She had noticed the odd bluish glow that was in his eyes, but she had thought nothing of it.

Cloud made the roof before the guards could send another volley of bullets their way, and quickly moved along the roof of the church with great speed. He found a dormer window, and let Aeris down.

"Go in through this window. I'll take care of the guards," he said as he pried the window open for her.

"But you're hurt! You can't take those guys on all by yourself!" she said, protesting his idiocy.

"Trust me. I can handle punks like them with my eyes closed. This wound isn't even that bad. Just get in there!" He pushed her into the window, hoping that she'd understand, and waited with his sword held up to cover his body against the bullets.

The guards made the roof quickly and started to fire again, but their bullets just deflected off of Cloud's sword. The guards closed the gap, and he dodged behind a chimney, unaware of the condition of the roof. The guards fired another volley, and he shifted quickly, avoiding the deadly hail of metal, only to find himself falling.

The roof had given way, and now he was plummeting downwards. His flight quickly ended with a sickening thud onto the church floor below.

Aeris heard the commotion, and quickly ran down the attic stairs, only to find Cloud lying on the ground, blood trickling out of his mouth. She gave a gasp, and ran over to him, checking to see if he was breathing. She found that he was and breathed a sigh of relief, but this was cut short by a rapid succession of gunfire that pocked the floor of the church with holes. She thought quickly, and drew her magic into her hands, releasing it in a burst of green light.

"_Please work, please work!_" she thought as she stared down at the motionless Cloud.

He suddenly gave a splutter, and sat up, finding himself in the church.

"What hap…?" he started, but Aeris cut him off.

"No time, guards are after us!" she said quickly, pointing at the two blue clad guards heading their way.

"Shit…" Cloud muttered, standing quickly and picking up his sword.

"It's time to end this," he said, his eyes glowing brightly as he hefted his massive blade.

"Stand back, I'm going to finish this in one go."


End file.
